Polyurethane resin matrices are a type of highly cross-linked polymer materials which are often used for preparing polyurethane composite materials. Compared to traditional unsaturated resin and vinyl ester resin systems, polyurethane resins are characterized by excellent fatigue resistance and chemical corrosion resistance, superior impact toughness, and absence of styrene, etc. Hence, they are used in the composite material field more and more frequently.
Generally, a polyurethane composite material prepared from a polyurethane resin matrix having good mechanical properties also has good mechanical properties. Due to their lower cross-linking density than traditional unsaturated resins and vinyl resins, the mechanical properties of polyurethane resin matrices are inferior to those of the unsaturated resins and vinyl resins. However, if the cross-linking density of a polyurethane resin matrix is increased, the reactivity of the resin will be enhanced accordingly, resulting in shortened molding process time of a polyurethane composite, which is undesirable for the preparation of the polyurethane composite. Thus, an effort has ever been in existence in the industry to develop a process capable of improving the mechanical properties of a polyurethane resin matrix with no impact on its reactivity.
Polyether carbonate polyols, which are a class of polyols made from carbon dioxide and epoxides, can not only reduce the demand on petrochemical raw materials, but also realize environmentally friendly utilization of carbon dioxide, a “greenhouse gas”. Therefore, they are expected to replace traditional polyether polyols. Unfortunately, polyether carbonate polyols are used only in limited fields. For example, US20090306239 discloses a polyurethane microcellular elastomer prepared from a polyether carbonate polyol, and WO2010115567 discloses a polyurethane elastomer prepared from a polyether carbonate polyol. Therefore, it will be advantageous to develop a polyurethane material using a polyurethane carbonate polyol in order to expand the application field of polyether carbonate.